This experience is just plain great! I can't imagine my Sunday mornings being any better than praising God through song and helping others come unto Christ. Sometimes I wonder if this will ever become "old" or something I'm so used to that I don't cherish it any longer. I pray that day won't come. I asked a friend of mine in the choir who's been in it for 15 years now how he's been able to keep that excitement and perspective and this is what he said:
The time has gone so incredibly fast, and keeps getting faster. I've been part of so many incredible things the choir has done. And I'm sure they'll keep doing more after I get out. I think it seems more routine and could get stale those second through seventh years after the newness and excitement wore off. But now it's totally a routine part of my life and a part of me. It's just what I do! But I look forward to the spiritual uplift I get from it a few times each week. I look forward to the peace I feel there--it's a very safe place. I love being around people more like me. I love being around people who are mostly kind, caring, loving, fun, and not too judgmental. It's a great family to be part of. While we keep doing the same songs and the same concerts year after year, they all are a little different. It's great when we can work on a totally new piece. It's great to have new guest or record a new album. There's always something fresh and new on the horizon, even if the current broadcast might feel very familiar. So I'm always looking forward. And when we are in the moment during a concert or something, I try to remind myself how blessed/lucky I am to be there. I think of the thousands of people who come to hear us and how truly unique/special/famous the choir is and how many people who do do anything to have my seat. It's really been one of the richest blessings of my life and carried me through some difficult times over the past 15 years. I honestly don't know where I'd be without the choir. Sure, it takes a lot of time, and sometimes I'm jealous of others who seem to have more time to play or do what they want, but then I remember how few get to be in the choir and I really wouldn't trade it for anything else. There will be another season for something else after the choir; but for now, I'm going to drink it all in.
So there you have it. I think the key therefore is looking forward, treasuring the new, and remembering. And that is exactly what I plan to do!
And speaking of looking forward, this week we have a concert over in Richfield, UT. The good people there are looking forward to our visit and the music we'll bring them. I'm eager to be a part of it and have plenty of music to to memorize (mostly re-memorize) this week. Just like cramming for an exam, you can cram for a performance but the downside of doing that, is when you're asked to sing the song you've crammed for, again, later on, you find that you need to refresh those musical neural pathways!
I leave you with a recent quote on gratitude that I have come to love:
"When we are grateful to God in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation. In grief, we can still lift up our hearts in praise. In pain, we can glory in Christ’s Atonement. In the cold of bitter sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven’s embrace.
We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?" (Dieter F. Uchtdorf)
Until next time, God be with you!
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